A Little Background on Chronic Candidiasis

Chronic Candidiasis is a condition wherein there is an overgrowth of Candida Albicans in the gastrointestinal tract. These fungi are usually benign but it is the actual cause of Chronic Candidiasis.

This condition is caused by any of the following:

Antibiotics Usage

If you are taking antibiotics for treatment of certain illness, chances are the balance of flora bacteria inside your body is compromised. These antibiotics are usually taken whenever you have sore-throat, ear infection and even sinus infection. Being under medication with antibiotic can greatly affect the intestines. Antibiotics can take out good bacteria, and when good bacteria are lower, chances are yeast will take over inside the body.

Stress

If you are feeling stressed out whether emotionally or physically, then your immune system will greatly be affected by it. Weaker immune system opens the opportunities for infection to settle inside the body. It is important to maintain a positive outlook in life and not to allow stress take over your life.

Alcoholic substance abuse

Alcohol is yeast's best friend; too much alcohol can kill good bacteria inside your body. Alcohol contains sugar and it is a fact that yeast thrives on sugar as well as carbohydrates. Alcohol is considered as the most refined sugar we can get inside the body.

Artificial birth control substance

There are more women who suffer from Chronic Candidiasis, because women use birth control pills and not men. Also the actual amount of estrogen and progesterone inside the women's body create an environment which is very much conducive for yeast production.

If you are suffering from Chronic Candidiasis, you may be familiar with any of the symptoms:

• Diarrhea
• chronic gas
• abdominal cramps
• Bloated Abdomen
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Inflamed Bowel Disease
• Frequent urination or UTI
• Rectal Itching
• White tongue coating
• Swollen lips or face
• Panic attacks
• Extreme fatigue
• Auto-immune disorders
• Indigestion
• Heartburn
• Bad breath
• Chemical Sensitivities
• Dizziness

To keep the infection under control, a person affected by the disease should be cautious of his or her diet. There are several kinds of foods which are not allowed for people suffering from Chronic Candidiasis. It is also best to seek professional help in order to diagnos and help to cure the infection immediately.

Doctors would normally advise to go on strict diets and would recommend other anti-fungal supplements. This could the infection immediately and would not further complicate the health condition.

Toddlers and Night Terrors

Pavor nocturnus, more commonly known as baby night terrors, is common among toddlers and may sometimes occur in babies as early as nine months. It arises during the first two hours of a child's sleep and may last from 2 to 30 minutes until he goes back to sleep.

Night terrors could be described as sudden onset of child panic, moaning or even screaming and crying at night, as if he was trapped in a world full of horror and no one can help him. By the time he wakes up he barely remembers a thing. This could really sound disturbing to parents but the cause of it is truly unknown.

Stress is shown to have some association with sleep terrors, since horrible sleeps at night takes place when the child is feverish, overtired from play or there is emotional tension inside the home.

Here are some tips on how to put your baby to a good nights sleep:

• Reassure your child with the love and support that he needs to feel safe and loved. You may tuck him to sleep with his favorite stuffed animals and sing him lullabies. Warm bath and milk and calming oils with chamomile at night would help him relax and have a sound sleep.
• Conversely, kids ought to sleep for at least 10 hours a day and make sure he takes a 1 hour nap in the afternoon. Meanwhile, babies should at least have 12 to 14 hours of sleep per day.
• Reinforce safety measures to prevent your child from obtaining an injury by keeping side rails up and removing sharp and hard objects when he sleeps.

Hence, parents are advised that night terrors eventually diminish as the child grows older. However, parents may seek a professional consult if the episodes become persistent and longer in duration.

Beginner Orchids: Genus Brassavola

Brassavola is one of the easiest families of orchids to grow. They are very closely related to another set of beginner orchids as well, namely Cattleya and Laelia. They can be grown well indoors and tolerate a lower relative humidity that would otherwise affect other orchids badly.

Among the most common species is B. nodosa, also well-known as Lady of Night. Although this trait is shared throughout the family, B. nodosa has a seemingly strong scent during the night. They react as early as before sunset, getting ready to burst out with their nocturnal fragrance. The scent, along with the light colors of their flowers, attracts night insects such as the moth as part of the pollination process.

While they can also tolerate lesser light, their strong night feat comes from absorbing as much light as possible during the day. This allows you not to worry much of overexposure to the sun. A good indication of a healthy consumption of light is when the leaves start to have red freckles on them.

Brassavolas are both epiphytic and lithophytic, meaning, not only do they naturally grow on trees, but they also grow on rocks. With this, you can enhance their decorative display and create a lovelier garden.

As mentioned, having a close relation to Cattleya and Laelia makes them much favored for creating hybrid orchids, such as a larger flower size one genus with a more colorful one. So close that one specie, B.Digbyana, is actually found to be a genus of Laelia back in 1918, but its name under Brassavola was retained as it was already popular and to avoid unnecessary confusion.

As you start your way to cultivating your perfect garden, your fond beginnings will be preserved as they will be part of it for as long as you take care of them. And every night of their time to bloom makes it all worth it.

Helping Toddlers To Get a Sound Sleep

Getting the toddlers to sleep in the afternoon, especially at night may be a little harder than when they are babies, since babies sleep most of the day. Unlike toddlers, they have developed the sense of identifying what they want and what they don't want to do. The toddler stage is oftentimes equated with negativity, and no is their favorite word. Toddlers undergo a developmental stage where most often than not, parents are having a hard time understanding.

Here are some helpful tips on how to get your precious toddlers to sleep:

1. Kids are hyperactive; they would love to discover the things around their environment. You must keep the room dark to set your child's mood as if it was nighttime already.


2. Set periods for playtime and sleep time. Allow your child to enjoy his toys for a certain period of time, and then when it's about time for him to take a nap or sleep, tell him that play period is over and that it's time for him to rest. You must also allow your child to learn how to keep his toys after playing so as to set an indication that he needs to sleep. It also helps the child to understand the importance of discipline that will play an important role in his growth and development.


3. Toddlers have their own trends of rituals. To help them develop their own sense of control, let them make their own choices: as to sleeping habits, choice of clothes to wear, and most of all keeping their security objects at hand, i. e., stuffed animals, pillows, security blankets and the like. It helps toddlers to sleep comfortably.


4. Warm milk and a warm bath help the child to relax thereby enhance sleeping.


5. Touch therapy is still the best. Giving your child a gentle massage helps the body to relax, thus it facilitates sleeping. Reading books, cuddling and singing lullabies would also be helpful.

There are lots of methods to help put the child to sleep. But nothing compares to the unconditional warmth and love he gets from his parents. Parents are toddlers' best personalized security objects.

Overview on Yeast Infection

Yeast infection or Candidiasis is becoming a very common disease nowadays. This is because people are so busy with their schedules and rely on what fast food restaurants have to offer. Preparing healthy meals for themselves and their family have become next to impossible. Unhealthy eating habits would eventually lead to unhealthy bodies. Over production of yeast in the body is because of high consumption of sugar. Yeast loves sugar, they thrive on sugar.

Other causes of yeast infection are:

• Too much antibiotics
• Birth control pills
• Tight clothing (it traps moisture)
• Condoms (because its lubricant contain nonoxynol-9)
• Unhealthy diet
• Weakened Immune system

To know whether if there is an overgrowth of yeast fungi in your body, you may experience any of the following.

Symptoms of Vaginal yeast infection:

• Redness and sore in the affected area
• Severe itchiness
• White vaginal discharge which looks like a cottage cheese
• Pain during sexual intercourse

Symptoms of Oral yeast infection or thrush:

• White patches in the tongue or mouth area
• Difficulty in swallowing
• Soreness in the throat area

Symptoms of Digestive tract yeast infection:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Bloating
• Flatulence

There are several ways on how to treat yeast infection. Some would use over the counter medicines such as topical ointments to lessen the soreness and itchiness. Medical professionals would also recommend the person with yeast infection to follow a certain diet. When a person is on a Candida diet there are several foods to avoid such as:

• Alcoholic beverages
• Cheese
• Chocolates
• Refined sugar
• Mushrooms
• Carbonated drinks
• Nuts
• Yeast containing foods such as breads and pastries.

The Candida diet would last between 4-6 weeks. However, there are those people who decide to stick with the diet even after the yeast infection has been cured. It is also a best way to lose weight and get your body back into its normal health condition.

Yeast-free Diet: What's for breakfast?

Taken literally, a yeast-free diet means any food that doesn't contain any yeast. Everyone has yeast inside their body and they only do harm when the factors that keep them in safe numbers are disturbed. A yeast-free diet simply promotes a well-balanced body.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. How you start your day affects how it is going to turn out. Without breakfast, you're off to a bad start. But then, what's there to eat when youre on a yeast-free diet?

Most likely, you've been given or have already read a list of food that you need to avoid. But really, all you need is look at what you can eat.

Fortunately, you can continue to enjoy your sunny-side up. Eggs are yeast-free and a lot of recipes can be made with it. But you might miss the toasted bread that usually comes along with it. There are only a few bread products out there that are not yeast-friendly, and they don't come with the taste you might have gotten used to.

Oatmeal is also good. While there's a certain debate because of its starch and gluten (if not gluten-free) content, its benefits on cleansing the intestinal tract has also a very desirable effect. Many will testify that they have gone through diets for candidiasis control with oat meals just fine.

Fruit juices aren't alright as they contain concentrated amounts of sugar. On the other hand, you can add fresh fruits with low sugar and a fair amount of fiber on your diet, such as apples, avocadoes, and melon. A little later on the diet or when you don't have a severe yeast outgrowth, you can add oranges, pineapples and the likes. They are acidic fruits that encourage alkalinity which makes an unsuitable environment for yeasts to grow on to.

It's also not too early for a slice of chicken with your favorite vegetable. If you're on a much restricted diet, a moderate meal, instead of a light one could keep your cravings on a low when lunch time comes.

Growing Orchids at Home

Orchids can be found almost everywhere. It can easily grow on land, tree canopy, and even in water. Orchids are of prime choice by most garden lovers and home bodies that serve as part of their landscape garden attraction, for its irresistible, enthralling bloom. However, keeping them as garden plants is not as easy as it may sound.

Most people would say that growing orchids indoors is only for those with green thumbs, but, I beg to disagree. Here are some tips on how to make your first time orchid planting be a success.

Knowledge. The best way to grow your orchids is to be equipped with right information as to type of specie you decided to deal with, giving a special consideration that each flower differs from the other. Hence, its needs could be addressed according to its variety.

Air and Humidity. Place the orchid in a spot where it could get enough air that it needs to keep its leaves well ventilated. Thus, air keeps fungus and bacteria away from destroying the leaves. Placing orchid pots on a saucer with ornamental pebbles with just about an inch of water will definitely keep the air around the plant well humidified and healthy.

Water. Too much or too little is bad for watering such sensitive orchids, as both could kill your plant. Watering orchids once a week would be enough. Also, use clay pots instead of plastic containers to avoid drowning the plant.

Temperature. A temperature of about 75 degree Fahrenheit to 85 degree Fahrenheit during daytime and a minimum of 59 degree Fahrenheit at night would be just as perfect for propagating your orchids.

Soil. Sphagnum moss, wooden chips, or shredded coconuts are proven to be effective in keeping the soil moist all the time.

Caring for orchids entails a great deal of dedication and sensitivity to its needs for growth and survival. Just like pampering a baby, it needs constant touch, comfort and attention from its mother. Not only it gives us an attractive ambiance, it also gives us a motivation to become more productive in aiding Mother Nature in advocating a dirt free atmosphere.

Honeybee Diseases

American Foulbrood

AFB is the most harmful bacterial bee brood disease for its infectious nature. It affects larvae up to three days old where it produces more spores within its digestive tract. The larva dies after it is capped and the spore remains to infect the cell. Bees nature to clean up will spread it more throughout the hive, contaminating honey that is fed to growing larvae. These spores can live up to 40 years.

Infected cells will appear sunken. Upon closer inspection by poking with a small stick inside the cell, one can find a brown, sticky substance clinging at the end.

European Foulbrood

EFB bacterium is less infectious than AFB. It doesn't form spores and kills the infected larva before it is capped. Symptoms include dead or dying larvae that can appear dried out, or melted like AFB.

Chalkbrood

It is a fungal disease that affects 3-4 days old larva. It grows within the gut, while starving the larva of its own nutrients. It later consumes the rest of the larva, causing it to dry and appear like a chalk.

Stonebrood

It is a fungal disease that causes the mummification of a brood. The larva ingests the spores where it hatches inside and grows quickly. It causes the larva to turn black and become stone-like hard after its death. The spores continue to grow and out of the covering where it can continue to spread through out the hive.

Nosema

It is a disease caused by a microbe called Nosema apis that infects the intestinal tract of adult bees. It is not fatal, but may cause a condition called dysentery that can lead to the collapse of the colony.

Black Queen Cell Virus

A virus that causes the queen cell and the larva turn black while killing it. Little is known about the virus but it is often associated with Nosema.

Chronic Bee Paralysis

This virus only affects adult bees. After infection, it causes the bee to become shiny because of the loss of hair. They are disoriented from the colony and attacked by fellow bees. The virus is spread by contact.

Managing Queen Honeybees

There are times when the bee colony might not be performing well. Weak workers, tendency to swarm, slow production of honey, etc. Environmental factors aside, it is common practice to replace the queen to deduce problems of the colony.

Raising Queens

Queen rearing is practiced by hardcore beekeepers as it offers many benefits. One is that it is cheaper than buying a new one. You may need more as your replacement might be rejected by the colony. Second, you can also replace the queen routinely every year. A young queen is less likely to induce a swarm. Lastly, you can also sell them for quite a price to make up for the tedious task.

Queen Marking

It's hard to see where the queen is within the hive. You may prefer to mark her with a certain color on her back (thorax). They are easy to spot so it's easier to know when a colony becomes queen-less. Any color can be chosen but there's a standard utilized by professional beekeepers to mark the year it was born. Each color corresponds to one year, which is the last digit of the current year.

Model car paint is normally used to mark queen bees with no harm done.

White - 1 or 6

Yellow - 2 or 7

Red - 3 or 8

Green 4 or 9

Blue - 5 or 0

Replacing Queens

You'd want to replace a queen that is weak or becoming old before they are naturally superseded. Since the queen only usually makes queen cells when swarming, sometimes they die without producing a replacement. The colony is then forced to make an emergency queen by feeding existing larva with royal jelly. What would have been a worker bee would then emerge as a queen. Unfortunately, they are not as productive as a queen produced from queen cells.

Introducing a new queen isn't quite simple. There are no widely accepted methods so most of the time it is just a matter of trial and error. Knowing the behavior of your colony is the key to a successful replacement.

Beginning Beekeeper

Not all people are interested in beekeeping, but there are some people who would love to be a beekeeper. Before a person becomes a beekeeper, he needs to learn everything he can about honey bees and beekeeping to prepare himself.

There are many online suggestions, notes and different ideas on what are the things one should know about beekeeping or he can acquire a book about beekeeping in order to be well-prepared.

Some people would want to learn and start a beekeeping business especially now that many jobs have been lost. Beekeeping is an income generating business and a person can earn a lot if he knows what to do in this kind of business in order to be successful.

Though it looks so easy, a person should not take it easy; he should be knowledgeable and must be familiar with different strategies for beekeeping.

Beginning beekeeping is very fascinating at the same time tricky. Feeding bees is not like feeding your domesticated animals such as dogs and cats in your house. Bees are still considered dangerous simply because they tend to be aggressive when they feel they on threat. Bees defend themselves by stinging their supposed to be enemies and it can be dangerous for people especially those who are allergic to stings.

So if you are interested in starting a beekeeping business, keep in mind that the first thing to learn is how to protect oneself against bee stings. There are protective gloves and gears used by a beekeeper. There are also tools which serve as a protection for a beginner beekeeper like you such as smoke box which calm the bees when it puffs smoke. These are the first things to consider when beginning beekeeping.

Common Orchid Pests

Orchids are very strong plants and are capable of protecting themselves from the common pests and diseases. Environmental stress, however, can leave them vulnerable to pests that might already have taken refuge in your orchid, or in nearby plants. Treat them as early as possible as you don't want them in large numbers enough to use strong pesticides that could also risk the health of your plant.

Aphids. Small, green, yellow, or black insects. You will find them in clusters on new leaves and blooming buds. They penetrate through the plant surface that becomes an entry point for other diseases. Warm water and detergent is enough for wiping small clusters off the orchid. Use insecticidal soap for worse numbers.

Spider Mites. Very small green or red insects. Though hard to see, the webbings they create can be spotted by inspecting the underside of the leaves. They prefer dusty areas for attaching their webbings so keep the leaves clean by washing them regularly. Treat the leaves with insecticidal soap from time to time.

Scales. Brown, or white round insects. Bad infestation can scar and stunt the plant. Spray insecticidal soap or with stronger pesticides for weeks. Spray the other plants as well to keep the young scales from moving from one to another. They easily grow in numbers and could stunt the growth of the plant while leaving scars.

Mealybugs. For the untrained eye, they would look like webbings but in fact are white insects with cottony appearance and thread-like legs. They colonize areas such as inside bud sheaths and crevices between the leaves. They are less harmful than the other pests, but hard to eradicate. Like any other pests, frequent maintenance will keep them from multiplying to unsafe amounts. They can be killed with alcohol.

Slugs and snails. They are easy to spot, when they're there. You can detect their presence by the slime trails that they leave and chewed out leaves and buds. Simply remove if you find them. Should they keep coming, slug baits are commonly available to keep them away from your plants. It's also been found that beer is an effective home remedy. Place them in a bowl in any spot in your garden and they will fill themselves in.

Capturing a Honeybee Swarm

Why would you want to capture a swarm? Even established professionals buy their bees packaged already. So why go all the trouble? Well, one thing is for sure, you might find it is actually fun. It also means a free package of new bees for a new hive.

Swarming or Swarms are honeybees way of spreading the family. To ensure the survivability of the species, the queen must lead half of her most trusted workers to another location while leaving the new generation to grow on their own.

Capturing a swarm can be hard but not daunting. It is also rewarding as you are not only helping the neighborhood from such fear, you are also learning more of their behavior to improve your own hives.

Manual Capture

One easy way to capture a swarm is when they're on a branch of a tree, which you could cut off. You can place the cut off branch with the swarm directly in a box or a sack without even wearing protective gear. You got to keep steady though. If you jolt them in a hard way, they could fly away.

Another one is by using a bee vacuum. Now, there isn't an industry standard for this yet. Most are just custom made. A simple structure would be to use your existing vacuum and plug it into an air-tight box. Inside the box is a smaller box, with screen windows. This is to keep the bees from clogging the suck hole. Then, make a smaller hole on both boxes for a 2-inch pipe to fit in. This is where the bees will go in. It is important to note that the suction process should be slow, as you don't want to kill the bees. If you cant control the power, make another hole on the outer box as a means to decrease suction power.

Swarm Traps

For a passive way, you may opt for swarm lures. Lemon grass oil is commonly used, but nasonov mimic pheromones have also become available. Nasonov is a pheromone naturally produced by scout worker bees to guide swarms into a suitable place. Try to experiment on which ones you prefer as they seem not to differ much.

Then, ready a swarm trap. There are boxes specially made for these, but any 15 to 30-liter box will do. One small entrance is enough. Remember, the box must be a suitable place for bees to live in. Pheromones wont be enough to convince them into choosing this as their next permanent residence.

For the lures, you usually dab it into a piece of wood, or directly at the entrance of the trap. Other lures are in a vial. Simply open, place it at the entrance and the lure will disperse slowly into the air.

Place the box right below or near the cluster of honeybees. If your trap has been chosen, all the bees will eventually enter the trap for you to easily collect. Unfortunately, it is a skill that you have to develop as you might find your trap ignored several times during the first few tries.

Swarm traps can be set anywhere you might suspect a swarm could travel to. You'd especially want to do this if its a swarm that could come from your hive.

4 Common Mistakes To Avoid When Putting Your Baby To Sleep

Putting your baby into sleep is better said than not. All parents know it. However, the real horror starts the moment you are having a hard time putting your baby, which will create many sleepless nights for parents especially during the toddler night waking routine. With the parents, particularly the moms desire to go catch some sleep, many of them aimed to put their baby's day sleep routine a successful one, making them sometimes tend to overlook some of the safe cautions when putting a baby into sleep.

Below are some of the common mistakes that parents should avoid when putting their baby into sleep.

1. Allowing the baby to sleep on their stomach or side is a big no-no. Studies show that SIDS or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is heavily related to stomach and side sleeping. The best thing that parents can do is to let their child sleep on his or her back. If this is not possible due to some trouble when in back-only position, parents should look for some ways like having a baby sleep position for a more comfortable sleep.


2. Though it is sweet and tempting to do, parents should avoid the baby to go sleep with them on their bed especially if the baby is newborn because blanket, pillow, and even your body is a threat to the health of a baby that is still unable to rollover.


3. Leaving the baby alone while sleeping is definitely not a good practice especially if the baby is sleeping on the floor, couch, or any dangerous parts of the house, for there might be a tendency for the bay to roll or for the family members and pets to step on the baby.


4. Make it a habit to check labels from the baby's clothing to bedding's and make sure the item is flame retardant.

Avoiding the above-mentioned mistakes from happening will let your baby fall into sleep comfortably while giving you some peace of mind.

Yeast Free Diet

Our ability to adapt is a reflection of our body's ability to physiologically regulate its interior milieu. Despite the mechanisms that maintain the balance of our health, we are still responsible for what we eat.

Why would anyone want to have a yeast free diet? Yeast is part of the human flora and is well maintained by other microorganisms and our own immune system to stay benign, certain conditions could allow them to overgrow and cause negative impact in our bodies. You need such diet if you have a yeast infection, a weak immune system, or simply doing this as a detox diet.

Here's a short list of foods to avoid with reasons why you should.

1. Anything sweet. Yeasts love to feed on glucose which is supplied by refined sugars/carbohydrates in abundance. Sugar, chocolate, carbonated beverages, pastries, etc. Even sweet fruits should be avoided. Some condiments such as catsup also contain sugar and distilled vinegar that promotes yeast growth.

2. Dairy products. Yeast contained by dairy products mostly comes from the air but some products such as cheese are intentionally added with mold to produce different types.

3. Wheat. It is only recommended to avoid this due to the fact that many sufferers of chronic yeast infection tend to have gluten allergies.

4. Processed Meat. Most meats are treated with chemicals in order to produce popular consumables such as ham and sausages. Also take note of the terms cured, pickled, dried, and smoked as they usually have undergone chemical treatment. While most processes are made to actually cleanse the meat, some people with yeast infection react to processing residues.

5. Fermented foods. Fermentation is a process of letting yeast and/or bacteria feed on the sugars. This produces certain target by-products, such as vinegar, alcohol (beer, wine, etc), and chocolate. The effect can also be used as a preservation method, such as pickling.

It might be hard to avoid foods you might be used to eating. Understanding how it affects you will justify the need to adjust your eating habits.

Beekeeping Swarm Prevention

Swarming naturally occurs as a way for honey bees to reproduce more colonies away from the hive. Every year, during spring, a colony, with the queen, is most likely to decide to swarm, but it could happen anytime, especially if your bees may be having some problems with their living conditions.
Swarming poses as a problem because honey production drops down as the remaining colony attempts to recover while waiting for the new queen to emerge. Worse, if the new queen doesn't survive, it would be the end for that colony. No more honey production for that hive box.

Know the signs. Certain preparations are done by the colony before it decides to swarm. The queen would lay eggs on the queen cups, after which the worker bees would then build it up to become a queen cell. Swarm cells may then also be made. These are queen cells made to attempt swarming. You will find quite a number of these peanut-shaped cells at the bottom frames. There would be lesser eggs or none at all as the queen stops laying eggs in order to fly light for swarming.

Should they have swarmed already, you'll know as the number of bees will be obviously low. Only old larvae/capped broods and the queen cells will be left.

This can be prevented by a few precautions.

Remove all queen swarm cells. Be careful to identify that they are for swarming. Cells made for replacing the current queen due to weakness are called emergency cells and are located higher. If you remove these, you risk losing your queen with no replacement. If there's no upcoming queen, then they'll know and will eventually lose the impulse to swarm. You should also be sure to remove ALL swarm cells. Leaving even just one will not convince them to stop from swarming.

Introduce a new queen. Queens in their first years rarely decide to swarm. This may not come as an easy task, but you'll find the challenge worth it.

Maintain a suitable temperature. Make sure their place is well ventilated. Add a bird fountain or any source of water near their hive. Bees will make use of water as needed.

Avoid congestion. Take the initiative to provide more room before any overcrowding occurs. They are pretty stubborn and will swarm if they have decided to.

Make it a habit to check for swarming whether it is the season or not. It conditions you to become precautious and mindful not only of swarming, but also to other problems your bees may have.

Growing Underground Orchids

There are many types of orchids and many ways of growing them: right humidity, right soil, and most of all, right lighting. But how does one that lives underground grow? Rhizanthella gardneri is one of the two subterranean orchids that can only be found in Australia.

In May, spring of 1928, John Trott encountered the very first specimen of the underground orchid. A half-inch flower head composed of 10 to 90 small, cream to reddish colored flowers, protected by overlapping bracts that formed a hole at the soil surface. He then gave the specimen to Charles Gardner, the Government Botanist, who then forwarded it to Dr. Richard Sanders Rodgers. Dr. Rodgers, on the same year, described the flower and named it after Charles.

Between 1928 to 1959, the orchid has only been found 6 times, all by chance. It wasn't until 1979 after it has been found again at a private property, 300 kilometers south of its previous known locations. Over 300 flowering plants where then found thereafter. In 1980, it was declared as Rare Flora.

It doesn't grow normally like other orchids. It spends its lifetime underground, and only grows to bloom at the surface when it's ready to propagate. Leafless and lacking chlorophyll, it doesn't rely on photosynthesis but instead live myco-heterotrophic, meaning it has a symbiotic relationship with certain plants and fungi, with Rhizanthella gardneris case, a tea plant of the species Melaleuca uncinta, and a mycorrhizal fungus. This is also why most of the orchid is found 20 to 30 inches near the mentioned tea plant.

Though it can produce three daughter plants vegetatively, it still can reproduce sexually. Its flowers bloom between May and July. A pollinated flower will take six months to mature and will then produce a berry-like fleshy fruit containing a few to a hundred seeds. There are no hard findings but it is thought that certain animals eat the fruit and disperse the seeds with their droppings.

As of now, Rhizanthella gardneri continues to gain the interest of biologists all over the world for its unique lifecycle. Its beauty remains underground.

Baby Sleeping Ideas

Every human being or even animals needs to sleep in order to survive, because the body needs rest for all the days work and activities. Sleep is important especially for the babies and kids. It is an important process of the baby's growth and the baby's health. Sleep is a way of rest but not only in the physical aspect but also in the mental aspect in which all the human's activity muscles or motor vehicles are put to rest.

Adults already know that it is important to sleep and they are able to sleep when they want to, but babies and kids are sometimes difficult to put to sleep. There are routines, rituals or strategies to help the parents put their little ones to slumber.

There are different ways to put the baby to sleep such as:

• Having a Bedtime Routine. Having a routine with the baby is not an easy task and requires ample time. Parents should spend more time with the baby and do the tasks required for the routine, such as giving the baby a warm bath first, then rubbing on some lotion or oil onto the baby's skin, singing a lullaby or telling a story for the baby every night to make it a routine. And having done that means it is already sleeping time.


• Flexibility in the Bedtime Routine. It is not always that the baby follows the given bedtime routine. So the parent should try another strategy on how to put the baby to sleep, maybe the parent could try turning off the light, rocking the baby or putting the baby on her chest while slow dancing, or putting on some slow music to soothe the baby's mood.


• Train the Baby/Kids. Teach the baby as early as possible that day time is for playing, eating and other activities while night time is for sleeping.

Putting the baby to sleep sometimes is hard and makes the parents irritable but parents should understand that the baby needs ample sleep for his own benefits. Getting enough sleep at night is good for the baby. Day sleep is also a must for babies in order for them to get the rest their baby body needs and daytime naps can prevent a baby from becoming too bizarre to sleep at night.

Phone Marketing 5 times bigger than the internet

Marketers have seized the opportunity of reaching people in all forms of media --- be it on print ads, internet or even mobile. Whenever we go, we sate our eyes and minds with the new inventions and services brought by manufacturers and distributors. So, if you are in the verge of introduction of your new products, what is the best means to connect with the prospect customers?

Phone marketing has emerged in the top priorities of companies when it comes to customer awareness. Here are the five reasons to resort to phone marketing over the internet ads:

• Telephone has become a basic necessity of every household than a luxury, then, it boils down to a statement that everyone is reachable. Spreading the information is now easier as there are more people who subscribe for telephone connection than those who avail access to internet. Even if the internet is readily available in mobile phones, not all carries phones with online web services.

• Phone marketing encourages an instant dialogue unlike ads in the internet that companies need to wait for the customers to initiate the response or feedback. When a product is introduced over the phone, the customer can immediately seek answers to their queries, on the same way, their hesitations about the product are properly clarified

• Advertising over the net cannot be streamlined to targeted customers, in contrast to phone marketing that a company can choose from the directory which numbers are highly probable to be patrons of a certain product or services. For example, if a manufacturer is endorsing a detergent, then, he can just choose from the directory all the entities that render laundry services to streamline his market. In this way, the percentage to get sales is higher.

• Convincing powers of telemarketers are one of the best ways to pull customers and push sales. Sometimes, customers are not interested in new stuffs unless they hear the pros of the products. Some pop-up ads in the internet just appear so usual for the users that they do not put attention on it, or, reading the product profiles is just so boring.

• Aside from promotions, phone marketing can also gather information on the reaction of the customers that can lead to the enhancement of features of the products. The faster a company gets the reaction, the faster they act on it to provide better products. In this way, the customer needs are addressed in short time.